Five-Year Comprehensive Professional Development Plan 2011 - 2016
Five-Year Comprehensive Professional Development Plan
2011 - 2016
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Minneapolis Public Schools
Mission
To ensure that all students learn. We support their growth into knowledgeable,
skilled and confident citizens capable of succeeding in their work, personal and family lives
into the 21st century.
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Minneapolis Public Schools
Professional Development Work Group
Margaret Berg – Instructional Facilitator/Teacher, Southwest High School
Ann Casey – Executive Director of Special Education
Ellen Debe – Secondary English Language Arts Content Specialist, Curriculum and Instruction
Scott Devens – 2nd
Grade Teacher, Lake Harriet Community Lower School
Paul Hegre – Teacher on Special Assignment in Organizational and Professional Development,
Human Resources
Lucy Kapp – Director of Organizational and Professional Development, Human Resources
Mary Ellen Knappmiller – Elementary Math Content Specialist, Curriculum and Instruction
Nan Miller – Director of Policy Development
Eric Molho – Director of School Improvement
Charlayne Myers – Director of Professional Development and Assessment
Beth Ness – Teacher on Special Assignment as Assistant Principal, Dowling School
Lynn Nordgren – President of Minneapolis Federation of Teachers 59
Kathryn O‘Gorman – Evaluation and Testing Specialist
Lillie Pang – Elementary Principal, Hale School
Andrew Rummel – Coordinator of K-8 Literacy
Ruth Woods – English Language Learner Program Facilitator
Terry Morganti-Fisher – Senior Consultant, Learning Forward (formerly NSDC)
Saundra Rowell – Consultant on Professional Development
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Table of Contents
Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . 6
Best Practices in Professional Development . . . . . . 11
Research on High-Quality Professional Development . . . . 12
Definition and Role of Professional Development . . . . . 13
Central Office Support for School-Based Professional Development . . 14
Time for Professional Development . . . . . . . 17
Professional Development in Minneapolis Public Schools . . . . 19
The MPS Strategic Plan 2007-2012 . . . . . . 22
Theory of Action . . . . . . . . 23
Curriculum Management Audit . . . . . . 23
Professional Development Work Group . . . . . 26
Professional Learning Framework . . . . . 27
Professional Development Models . . . . . . 28
Evaluation of Professional Development . . . . . 34
Roles and Responsibilities for Evaluation at Sites and Central Office . 35
Guiding Laws, Policies & Regulations – Federal, State and District . . 36
Recommendations and Next Steps . . . . . . . 38
Appendices:
A Recommendations from the Strategic Plan . . . . 40
B MPS Philosophy Statement on Professional Development . . 42
C Professional Learning Communities Sub-Group – Some Initial Findings 44
D Definition of Professional Development from Learning Forward . 46
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E NSDC Standards for Staff Development . . . . 48
F Criteria for Comprehensive Long Range Professional Development Plan 50
G Innovation Configuration Crosswalk – Evaluation Roles and Outcomes 51
H Definition of Highly Qualified Teachers from No Child Left Behind 52
I Minnesota Statues 122A.16 – Highly Qualified Teacher Defined . 53
J Minnesota Statues 122A.60 – Staff Development Program . . 55
K Minnesota Statues 122A.61 – Reserved Revenue for Staff Development 58
L Federal, State and District Professional Development Legislation,
Resources and Purposes . . . . . 59
References and Resources . . . . . . . . 60
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Executive Summary
Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) exists to serve our students. A high-quality education is
essential for our students to enter the workforce and claim their place as productive citizens.
Evidence of student performance shows inadequate achievement growth over time and a
pervasive achievement gap between white students and students of color. The most powerful tool
we can use to increase student achievement is one we already have - our teaching corps. The
most powerful tool we can use to increase teaching quality is effective professional development.
Adult learning must be embedded in the operational and organizational structures of the central
office. In addition to supporting school-based professional development, it is essential that
district staff increase their job-specific knowledge and skills and their capabilities for teaming
and collaboration. District staff have the essential responsibility of ensuring that schools operate
effectively and that students learn.
The 2007-2012 Strategic Plan for Minneapolis Public Schools set two achievement goals:
1. Raise every student‘s achievement
2. Close the racial and income achievement gaps
To reach these goals, the District has identified strategies that include: increasing the rigor in
curriculum and instruction; aligning curriculum and instruction with the student academic
standards; and developing a high-performing teacher corps by providing professional
development and support to get excellent results for all students.
The MPS Strategic Plan included as an action item the conduct of a curriculum audit. In October
2008, Minneapolis Public Schools commissioned Phi Delta Kappa International Curriculum
Management Audit Center for that purpose. The Center was charged with scrutinizing the MPS
system against predetermined standards of quality, noting relevant findings about the system and
citing discrepancies from the audit standards. Audit recommendations are intended to help the
district improve quality in the areas where deficiencies were noted. The Audit team issued the
following statement concerning professional development:
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The mission of a quality professional development program is to increase student
achievement. This is accomplished by developing the skills of teachers, administrators,
and support personnel in the effective delivery of curriculum. A comprehensive
professional development program is long-term, is based on the curriculum and district
goals, and is focused and coordinated.
The auditors found that professional development policies and procedures are
not clearly defined and do not provide connectivity among various levels of the
school district. In addition, evaluation of the effectiveness of professional
development is nonexistent. (Phi Delta Kappa International, 2009, p. 239)
The Audit directed the superintendent to create a long-range professional development plan. In
response, the Professional Development Plan Work Group was convened in 2010. The Work
Group created this Five-Year Comprehensive Professional Development Plan, guided by the
Audit and a number of other resources:
• The Minneapolis Public Schools 2007-2012 Strategic Plan
• Building a System of Great Schools: A Theory of Action for Minneapolis Public Schools
(2010) which was adopted by the school board
• Superintendent Bernadeia Johnson‘s Schools of Focused Instruction and Autonomous
Schools (2010) that supports more focused professional development
• External reviews during the last five years from the New Teacher Project, Council of
Great City Schools, Annenberg Institute, the Vanderbilt University Study of Middle
School Mathematics, Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE), and
University of Pittsburgh Institute for Learning that concurred on the need for coherent
professional development to improve student performance
The Work Group was further guided by national and international research that validated the
following:
• Quality of teaching is highly correlated to the academic success of students
• Professional development is a key strategy available to schools and school systems for
improving teacher quality
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• Effective professional development enables teachers to work regularly together to
improve their practice and implement strategies to meet the needs of their students
• To ensure effective teaching in every classroom, educators must have opportunities each
day to refine and expand their practice, reflect on how their practice impacts student
learning, and engage in ongoing improvement to address learning challenges in the
school
• For purposes of accountability the system requires evidence showing improvements in
teachers‘ practice and student performance
• Effective educator learning at the district, department and school levels must be
supported, aligned and prioritized
• Professional development that improves student performance
o is driven by district-defined autonomy and focused at the site
o focuses on specific curriculum content and pedagogies needed to teach effectively
o links standards, assessments, and professional development seamlessly as a
coherent part of whole school reform
o engages teachers in active learning allowing them to make sense of their learning
o provides intensive, sustained, and continuous learning over time
o supports transfer of skills to practice through coaching, modeling, observations,
and feedback
o connects with teachers‘ collaborative work in school-based professional learning
communities and learning teams
Given these characteristics of high-quality professional development, the Work Group makes the
following recommendations:
1. Adopt a Board policy assuring professional development for all employees that is driven by
student achievement. This policy will describe the district‘s expectation and direct
professional development efforts regarding the following:
• Assessing professional development needs
• Planning, coordinating, implementing, and evaluating professional development
activities
• Tracking specific participation in professional learning activities
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2. Plan for district and school professional development that is focused and aligned with the
District Strategic Plan and its commitment to Focused Instruction.
3. Design, monitor, and evaluate school improvement plans that include professional
development driven by an analysis of student data over time and that inform and identify
adult learning needs.
4. Design and deliver standards-based and curriculum-based professional development through
effective models over time in a cycle of continuous improvement.
5. Adopt and implement a consistent Professional Learning Communities (PLC) model and
instructional coaching model.
6. Identify adequate time for job-embedded professional development.
7. Provide orientation and induction at the district, site, and department levels for all employees.
8. Base professional development on current job responsibilities to support growth and connect
to an individual‘s performance assessment.
9. Evaluate the planning and implementation of professional development both formatively and
summatively.
10. Report annually to the Board on the status of implementation and revisions to the
professional development plan specified in the audit recommendations; this is the
responsibility of the Director of Professional Development.
This five-year professional development plan is a critical step in moving toward a
―comprehensive and individualized training program focused on results-oriented strategies that
improve instructional skills and student achievement.‖ (Audit Recommendation #8, p. 239)
The Work Group recommends the following as next steps:
• Develop regulations and adopt Board policy
• Establish an oversight work group led by the Director of Professional Development
and Assessment tasked with
o Developing an Action Plan for implementation with timelines, activities,
assignments, and resource recommendations
o Monitoring implementation
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• Develop a communication plan
• Provide resources and funding necessary to implement this plan
Minneapolis Public Schools Professional Learning Framework
The Minneapolis Public Schools Professional Learning Framework, developed by the
Professional Development Work Group, visually represents the mission and goal for adult
learning. The Framework is shown below in Figure 1. (See Appendix B for the MPS Philosophy
Statement on Professional Development.)
Figure 1: Minneapolis Public Schools Professional Learning Framework
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Comprehensive Professional Development Plan 2011-2016
Best Practices in Professional Development
Adult learning in multiple forms abounds in school districts. However, articulation of focused,
coherent professional development is a rarity. A specified path for professional development and
training for all employees serves to clarify expectations, evaluations, and the allocation of
resources. This requires a school district to clarify its aim as a system and align professional
development so that it can have its greatest impact on improving student learning. A school
district should organize itself so that each employee has access to adult learning that affects his
or her ability to perform so that every student learns and is able to graduate.
Continuous improvement is a familiar model, used in much school improvement planning.
Killion and Roy‘s Backmapping Model for Planning Results-Based Professional Learning,
shown below, complements school improvement planning. Killion and Roy observe that ―School
improvement plans identify student learning goals, while professional learning helps educators
acquire the knowledge and skills to help students meet those goals‖ (Killion & Roy, 2009, p. 99).
Figure 2: Backmapping Model for Planning Results-Based Professional Learning
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The Backmapping Model, depicted in Figure 2, begins with an analysis of student learning needs
and the identification of the characteristics of the community, district, school, department, and
staff. Through the School Improvement Process (SIP), student improvement goals and outcomes
are defined and adult learning needs are identified. Planning for adult learning follows and
consists of a number of steps:
1. Study the research for specific professional learning programs, strategies, or
interventions.
2. Plan intervention, implementation, and evaluation.
3. Implement, sustain, and evaluate the professional development intervention.
Evaluating the effectiveness of this cycle includes gathering evidence about adult learning,
implementation of the new practice, and checking student learning.
Research on Professional Development
A three-phase study on high-quality professional development was sponsored by the National
Staff Development Council (now Learning Forward) and the Stanford Center for Opportunity
Policy in Education. The first phase of the study defined ―high-quality‖ or ―effective‖
professional development as that which results in improvements in teachers‘ knowledge and
instructional practice, as well as improved student learning. Phase two of the study addressed the
professional development trends in the United States. The research reviewed in this study
affirmed the belief that well-designed professional development improves teacher knowledge,
teacher practice, and student achievement. The study concluded that ―high-quality‖ professional
development is:
• Focused on specific curriculum content and pedagogies needed to teach that content
effectively
• Designed to engage teachers in active learning that allows them to make sense of what
they learn in meaningful ways
• Presented in an intensive, sustained, and continuous manner over time
• Linked to analysis of teaching and student learning, including the formative use of
assessment data
• Supported by coaching, modeling, observation, and feedback
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• Connected to teachers‘ collaborative work in school-based professional learning
communities and learning teams (Wei et al., 2010)
In the third phase of the study, which examined case studies of state policies and strategies, the
authors found that a critical factor in implementing effective professional development across a
variety of local districts, schools, and contexts is state policies and systems that ensure
accountability and monitor professional development. State efforts are maximized when joined
with those of professional associations and intermediary organizations.
A study published in 2009 provides empirical evidence of the effectiveness of professional
learning communities for increasing student achievement. The authors of this quasi-experimental
longitudinal study of nine Title I schools found that using grade-level teaming with direct
training of principals and teacher leaders, distributed leadership, and the use of explicit protocols
increased student performance. (Saunders, Goldenberg & Gallimore, 2009) School and district
leaders and policy makers should consider these findings when planning professional
development.
Definition and Role of Professional Development
―The term ‗professional development‘ means a comprehensive, sustained, and intensive
approach to improving teachers‘ and principals‘ effectiveness in raising student achievement.‖
(Killion & Roy, 2010) The complete definition appears in Appendix D.
Learning Forward, the international leader of professional development in education, advocates
for this new definition of professional development and its use in the reauthorization of The
Elementary and Secondary Education Act, known as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The
legislation clarifies which practices qualify for federal, state, and district funding and specify that
professional development should directly impact teachers‘ classroom practices and student
achievement.
In order to support professional development it is incumbent on school boards to set policy, and
on superintendents to set parameters, that define the district‘s focused instruction Pre-K – 12.
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High-reliability districts that consistently produce high student achievement use effective
instruction within defined autonomy. (Marzano & Waters, 2009) Since the work closest to
students is school-based the main thrust of focus and time is appropriately placed there as well.
Central Office Support for School-Based Professional Learning
With the shift to school-based professional development, central office staff have a new role - to
build the capacity of school personnel to design, manage, and implement improvement efforts.
The entire school district needs to work cross-functionally to support the work of schools. This
means that instructional and non-instructional personnel must have the knowledge and skills that
they need to support schools and work together. Thus, there must be professional development
for all employees.
The role of central office does not diminish as a result of this shift; rather, it expands as staff
members become learning leaders, increasing their knowledge and skills to meet the unique and
pressing needs of individual schools and the district as a whole. There is also a new role for
central office - building the capacity of schools to lead school-based professional learning
through reliable continuous improvement.
Central office responsibilities regarding professional development include:
• Building the capacity of schools – Central office staff are responsible for developing
school members‘ understanding of the professional development standards, district and
state requirements for professional development, and characteristics of effective
professional development. Central office staff provide opportunities for teacher leaders to
participate in leadership training to prepare them to lead collaborative learning teams in
their schools.
• Providing research and modeling best practices – Central office staff members
compile and disseminate research and resources about professional learning to teacher
leaders and principals. Central office staff also provide information and support to
school-based staff, including administrators, to promote understanding about the variety
of designs for professional learning.
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• Allocating resources – District staff advocate for time for school teams to work together
and the fiscal resources needed to support this adult learning. Districts help schools set
their schedules so that there is time for professional learning and develop support for job-
embedded professional learning time. District teams examine policies, administrative
procedures, practices, resources, and other guidelines to ensure they align with effective
school-based professional learning. Districts ensure that schools receive appropriate and
adequate budget allocations to support high-quality professional development.
• Coordinating efforts between and among schools – Central office staff bring schools
working on common goals together to collaborate, encouraging them to share their
learning, resources, and solutions. Central office can streamline support by serving
schools that are clustered according to shared professional learning goals rather than
trying to serve schools one by one. Practices that are successful in individual schools can
be shared across the district by central office staff as they support schools learning from
one another.
• Coordinating cross-discipline or cross-school teams – Central office staff should foster
collaboration for educators who are professional singletons at their schools, such as
media specialists, social workers, and world language teachers by organizing interschool
visitations within the district or across districts. Meetings of cross-school teams can be
facilitated by the district curriculum specialist to focus on developing curriculum, content
pedagogy, and other role or discipline-specific learning.
• Monitoring implementation – Central office holds schools accountable for their
professional development plans by meeting with school leadership teams quarterly or
semiannually to review evidence of progress toward their professional learning and
student achievement goals. The district helps schools celebrate their successes and alter
their course of action when necessary.
• Identifying and providing organizational support – District leaders increase
organizational support to help school leaders implement collaborative professional
learning.
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Professional development that leads to improved student learning is centered at the school, not
the district. The school needs to be in control of planning and implementing change. In order to
support job-embedded school-based professional development, the role of central office shifts to
building the capacity of school-level personnel to design, manage, and implement professional
development efforts. A combined effort involving schools and central office must result in
increased learning for students.
District leaders make a difference in whether schools successfully implement collaborative
professional development. The provision of intensive support by the district signals its
commitment to increasing teacher capacity. In addition to support for school-based professional
development, it is essential that district staff increase their job-specific knowledge and skills as
well as their capabilities for teaming and collaboration.
Adult learning must be embedded in the central office operational and organizational structures.
District staff who work at the central office hold essential responsibilities to ensure that schools
operate effectively and that students learn. Some departments manage the budget including
payroll, others perform evaluations to see what is working well; others still ensure that buildings
are safe and operate efficiently. Transportation employees make sure buses transport students
safely and on time, and so on. Continued learning and development must be embedded in the
work of all central office staff.
For teachers and school and district leaders to be as effective as possible, they must continually
expand their knowledge and skills to implement the best educational practices. Educators learn to
help students learn at the highest levels.
―Professional development is the only strategy school systems have to strengthen educators‘
performance levels. Professional development is also the only way educators can learn so that
they are able to better their performance and raise student achievement.‖ (Mizell, 2010, p.3)
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Figure 3: Results-Based Professional Development (Adapted from Roy & Hord, 2004)
As reflected in Figure 3, professional development should provide the essential knowledge and
skills that teachers, principals, and other employees need to know and be able to do, driven by
student learning. Continuous learning should span a professional‘s career from induction to
renewal and include enhancement for the more experienced who have mastered knowledge and
skills. As new initiatives are brought into the system and professionals progress from novice to
expert, multiple measures will provide a gauge of implementation to drive decisions.
Professional development at the central office can be described as two-pronged. While much
professional development is school-based, all professional development is job-embedded. In
addition to supporting school-based professional development, central office staff must be
engaged in their own adult learning to increase knowledge and skills to more effectively support
schools and student learning.
Time for Professional Development
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It is important that there is time during the workday for adult learning. According to recent
research, professional development that includes a substantial number of contact hours (ranging
from 39 to 100 hours in total and averaging 49 hours) spread out over 6 to 12 months showed a
positive and significant effect on student achievement results (Wei et al., 2010). Learning
Forward advocates for the investment of 25% of an educator‘s work time in professional
learning. This figure is based on the premise that collaborative professional learning:
• occurs during the workday and in the workplace
• is connected to the real work of teaching and student learning
• includes all the teachers all the time
Learning teams meet every day, assume collective responsibility for all the students the team
serves, develop powerful lessons and common assessments based on student content standards,
critique student work, observe and coach in one another‘s classrooms, and identify needs for
additional adult learning. How does time get carved out of the school day for this important
teacher and staff learning?
Many schools have found creative solutions to make the time available. Students arrive late or
leave early periodically in some schools to create time for teachers to collaborate. Permanent
reserve teachers relieve teachers for collaborative time in other schools. Organizing team time,
weekly meeting time, or common preparation periods provides time for teachers to meet.
Creating a school schedule that accommodates common time for collaboration is essential.
Schools struggling to identify potential times for professional development have analyzed their
current time use, established criteria for how they want to use time, studied other schools‘ and
districts‘ solutions, then determined how they could rearrange their own schedules.
It is important to remember that finding the time for collaborative professional learning is the
beginning. Using this time wisely, documenting how the time is used, and determining the effect
on teaching and learning is crucial. As important as it is to find adequate time for professional
learning, it is also a matter of how the available time is scheduled. The calendar should be
constructed so that professional development planning can accommodate use of the most
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effective models over time, combining district and school-based professional learning and
allowing for adequate follow-up.
Professional Development in Minneapolis Public Schools
All stakeholders in the district take collective responsibility for the learning of all students
through their various roles. Learning Forward (then NSDC) established standards for staff
development in 1994 that addressed the content, the context, and the processes for effective
professional learning. (See Appendix E.) To support adherence to these standards, Innovation
Configuration (IC) maps were created to precisely define the quality of these standards as well as
measuring fidelity of implementation. The IC maps are specific to the various roles of
superintendent, central office staff, principals, teachers, and school board. An example of the
Innovation Configuration appears in the evaluation section of this plan.
The District Staff Development Office convenes both the legislatively-mandated District Staff
Development Advisory Committee and the Site Staff Development Chairpersons. The
composition of The District Staff Development Advisory Committee is prescribed by Minnesota
state statute. A majority of the members are teachers; principals, district staff and parents are also
represented. This Advisory Committee convenes five times during the school year.
The Site Staff Development Chairpersons group is a network that includes one representative
from each school. These representatives serve on their site staff development committee,
collaborate with building leadership regarding expenditures for staff development, communicate
to the staff about upcoming staff development opportunities, complete the State‘s required site
staff development report, and generally provide building leadership for professional/staff
development. This teacher leader role is described in the Teacher Contract. The Director of Staff
Development meets with the Chairpersons three times during the school year. Meetings with the
Advisory Committee and Chairpersons group are used to provide updates on district professional
development as well as up-to-date research and information on effective professional/staff
development.
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The Director of Staff Development is charged with complying with requirements from the
Minnesota Department of Education regarding staff/professional development. The Director
oversees district staff development (including summer institutes), advocates for effective
professional/staff development models and leads the work of developing the comprehensive
professional development plan recommended by the Curriculum Management Audit Report.
The Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) and the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers (MFT)
agree on the importance of professional development and support for its teachers and other
instructional staff, as articulated in the Teacher Contract and quoted in the following paragraphs.
Professional development is a crucial factor when it comes to creating and maintaining an
excellent school system focused on ensuring that all students learn. In addition, the
District‘s ability to attract, develop and retain excellent and diverse teachers is improved
when a strong professional development foundation exists.
Professional development is the process by which teachers individually and jointly
enhance and update their knowledge of standards, curriculum and content, and improve
their instructional skills and strategies. Effective and continuous professional
development expands the knowledge base and repertoire of practices needed by teachers
to engage in educated and optimal decision making so that all students acquire the highest
quality of education. Enhanced professional development increases teacher effectiveness
and builds confidence, morale and commitment; as a result, it strengthens their ability to
improve the quality of education of all students in MPS.
The following elements are needed to support the success of the Professional
Development Process (PDP) for MPS teachers:
• professional development focused on ensuring successful student learning and
achievement for all students
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• the expectation that there is a school climate for professional learning and growth
that provides opportunities for collaboration and dialogue around student results
and teacher practices for the sole purpose of improving student achievement
• professional development that is job-embedded, continuous and focused on
research-based best practices supporting the National Staff Development Council
Standards for Staff Development and the Minneapolis Standards of Effective
Instruction
• opportunities for teachers to be engaged creatively in action research in support of
effective instructional practices
• research-based innovation and risk taking as the norm, necessary for continuous
learning
• an instructional community that is responsible for collegial coaching, growth and
support with the understanding that professionals have each other‘s interest at
heart
• implementation that is systematic and aligned with the district‘s work
The professional development continuum for teachers depends on systemic support. The
continuum begins with initial training and collaboratively supported practices; it evolves
into independently and collegially facilitated growth. Professional development continues
throughout the teaching career with ongoing reflection and leadership. The Minneapolis
Standards of Effective Instruction apply to all teachers and assist them as they move
through the development continuum. These standards are to be used as a guide when it
comes to planning and implementing staff/professional development that supports
teaching quality and student achievement. The standards are also an effective tool for use
in coaching, mentoring and teaming as part of the Professional Development Process.
The original Standards of Effective Instruction were synthesized by a representative
group of teachers, principals and administrators who reviewed and analyzed standards
from the following national and state organizations:
• National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
• Educational Testing Service (PRAXIS)
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• National and Minnesota Interstate New Assessment and Support Consortium
(INTASC)
The original Standards of Effective Instruction have been revised to align with all of the
national standards mentioned above and with the newly-adopted Minnesota State
Standards of Effective Practice for Teachers (Rule 8710.2000). This alignment will assist
teachers; as they work on the PDPs they will also be working on relicensure
requirements. (Minneapolis Federation of Teachers and Minneapolis Board of Education,
Article V, 2007)
The MPS Strategic Plan 2007-2012. The Minneapolis Public Schools began the development of
a Strategic Plan in 2006 to launch a sweeping and systemic reform of the school district.
Previous reports from the Council of Great City Schools, the Annenberg Institute for School
Reform, The New Teacher Project, and the Consortium for Policy Research in Education
concurred on the need for a close examination of district expectations for instruction and the
monitoring of curriculum delivered across the district. The Strategic Plan for 2007-2012 was
written using data and input from students, parents, school district staff, community leaders,
business executives, and government leaders. During the development of the plan, district
administrators and the Board of Education reviewed data and contributed ideas. The new
strategic direction and core strategies were approved by the Board in December 2007. Detailed
implementation planning occurred early in 2008. The vision expressed in the Strategic Plan is
―Every Child College Ready.‖ This vision will be accomplished by increasing equity, raising
expectations, strengthening relationships, focusing resources, and by addressing and meeting two
goals:
1. Raise every student‘s achievement.
2. Close the racial and income achievement gaps.
The Strategic Plan specified 9 recommendations. (See Appendix A.) To help the district address
the vision and goals of the Strategic Plan, the Board engaged Phi Delta Kappa International to
perform a Curriculum Management Audit in fall of 2008.
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Theory of Action. In June 2010 the Board adopted the Theory of Action, a document that
provides a framework for improving student achievement. The Theory of Action goal aligns with
the two Strategic Plan goals of ―. . . increasing achievement of all students while closing the
opportunity and achievement gap.‖ This document identifies focused instruction as the direction
in which the district must move to meet the needs of its diverse learners. Focused instruction
includes professional development that is tied to the curriculum and leads to increased student
learning. According to the Theory of Action, focused instruction includes ―establishing high
standards and a more tightly aligned system of curriculum, professional development, and
assessment . . . [focused instruction includes] comprehensive professional development aligned
with the curriculum that provides effective ways to teach and ensure learning.‖ In August 2010,
Superintendent Bernadeia Johnson addressed Minneapolis Public Schools Principals, citing
focused instruction as one of the key audit recommendations and noted that implementing
―focused instruction is the single most important thing that we can do this year.‖
Curriculum Management Audit. The purpose of the audit was to evaluate the quality of the
district‘s written, taught, and assessed curriculum and to provide recommendations to put in
place whatever would be necessary to achievement the Strategic Plan goals. An additional
purpose was to examine how the Principles of Learning framework, from the district‘s work
with the University of Pittsburgh‘s Institute for Learning, was being implemented. The district
engaged in implementing the Principles of Learning to support the belief that effort creates
ability. The aim was to develop and implement curriculum and pedagogy that would ensure
achievement of rigorous academic standards by all students.
The Curriculum Management Audit took a systems approach to educational improvement - it
considered the system as a whole rather than a collection of separate and discrete parts. The
auditors held the assumption that the interrelationships of system components and their impact
on the overall quality of the organization are critical when it comes to accomplishing the
Strategic Plan goals of raising every student‘s achievement and closing the racial and income
achievement gaps.
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The audit noted that the mission of professional development is to increase student achievement.
The report reads, ―This is accomplished by developing the skills of teachers, administrators, and
support personnel in the effective delivery of the curriculum. A comprehensive professional
development program is long-term, is based on the curriculum and district goals, and is focused
and coordinated.‖ (p. 239) The audit described the district‘s professional development policies
and procedures as disconnected and lacking an evaluation system. It went on to note the
numerous professional development offerings and many participants, but little evidence of an
impact on teaching and student learning. In the words of the auditors
. . . professional development policies and procedures are not clearly defined in the
Minneapolis Public Schools and do not provide connectivity among the various levels of
the school district. In addition, evaluation of the effectiveness of professional
development is nonexistent. While many professional development activities are
conducted, there was little evidence that professional development offerings have had
positive impacts on teacher performance and student learning. (p. 240)
The audit contains 10 recommendations; Recommendation 8 deals specifically with professional
development. Recommendation 8 provides governance and administrative guidance for
developing ―. . . a comprehensive and individualized training program focused on results-
oriented strategies that improve instructional skills and student achievement.‖ (p. 239)
Governance functions in the recommendation are addressed to the Board of Education and
administrative functions are addressed to the Minneapolis Public Schools Superintendent. Most
actions include specific elements to guide the work, as shown in Figure 4 which summarizes
Recommendation 8.
Governance Functions Administrative Functions
G.8.1: Develop and adopt a policy that
describes the district‘s expectation and directs
professional development efforts.
A.8.1: Assist the Board of Education with the
development of the recommended policy.
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G.8.2: Direct the superintendent to develop
regulations to implement the professional
development policy across the district.
G.8.3: Direct the superintendent to develop a
long-range professional development plan. The
plan should span minimally three years with
annual updates that ensure tight linkages to
system priorities.
G.8.4: Direct the superintendent to annually
report on the comprehensive professional
development plan. This will ensure that the
program is meeting Board policy and is aligned
with systemwide goals and priorities.
A.8.2: Develop administrative rules and
regulations to implement the professional
development policy districtwide.
A.8.3: Assign the Director of Professional
Development the responsibility to develop a
comprehensive, long-range professional
development plan. Particular attention should
be given to establishing a feasible number of
priorities within established timelines.
A.8.4: Assign the Director of Professional
Development the responsibility to report
annually to the Board of education on the
comprehensive professional development plan.
A.8.5: Provide the resources and funding
necessary to create a professional development
tracking process that can report specific and
disaggregated participation in high-quality,
content-specific professional development.
Figure 4: Audit Recommendation 8 - Governance and Administrative Functions
While Recommendation 8 speaks directly to the development of a district staff development
plan, other recommendations include professional development as an action for addressing a
needed change. For example, Recommendation 2 speaks to the development and implementation
of a curriculum management plan to coordinate, articulate, and align the written, taught, and
tested curriculum that includes curriculum guides. The action plan for this recommendation
includes the alignment of professional development to support teachers‘ quality delivery of the
curriculum. Recommendation 5 addresses the need for more effective use of data to improve
26
student achievement, including professional development that supports the analysis and effective
use of data to support teaching and learning. The Director of Professional Development
convened a Work Group for the purpose of addressing these audit recommendations and
developing a district staff development plan.
Professional Development Work Group. A group of 19 Minneapolis Public Schools staff
members worked with a consultant from Learning Forward and a local expert in professional
development to study the research on effective professional development in preparation for
creating the plan. The group included school-based teachers, a principal, the President of the
Minnesota Federation of Teachers, representatives from special education and English language
learners. Representatives from the district-level departments of Curriculum and Instruction,
Strategic Planning, Human Resources, and Research, Evaluation, and Assessment also served on
the work group. (Members of the Work Group are listed on page 3.) The Superintendent
assigned the Director of Professional Development to develop the comprehensive, long-range
professional development plan. In turn, the Director of Professional Development charged the
Work Group with addressing the Curriculum Management Audit professional development
recommendation and creating the action plan. (See Appendix F for the Plan Criteria.)
The Work Group developed a rationale for professional development in the Minneapolis Public
Schools that includes our philosophy, mission, and beliefs. A professional learning framework
was created that addresses professional learning for all Minneapolis Public Schools employees -
those whose work is instruction as well as staff whose responsibilities focus on operations. The
professional learning framework focuses on a school becoming a learning school, with support
from the district central office, and engaging parents and the community in conversations about
professional learning and its impact on student learning. The framework appears in Figure 5.
27
Figure 5: Minneapolis Public Schools Professional Learning Framework
28
Schools are designed for student learning. Student learning is accomplished by healthy growing
educators. A high-growth environment for the adults infects the students. Effective professional
development takes place in a variety of forms, by individuals studying and working on their own,
in pairs, in groups that include school staff, and through staff development for large groups or the
whole district.
Professional Development Models
The work group studied the most effective professional development models and made specific
recommendations on the design and implementation of these models. Designs for effective adult
learning that impact student learning highlight the need for professional development that
supports the individual and collaborative groups, is job-embedded, and is supported by the
district central office.
Professional development happens through deliberate actions by the organization—the district
and the school—to generate learning by educators and to create a learning environment in the
school and district. Various models of professional development have the potential to create and
support adult learning that leads to student learning when the professional development is
intentionally planned and implemented according to practices that are known to be effective.
These models may operate alone. However, they will often be most effective when combined
with other models: e.g., combining a summer institute with professional learning communities
and/or school-based instructional coaching.
Table A presents a matrix of professional development models. The descriptions used by Joyce
and Calhoun (2010) are the basis for the names of these models, which are expanded upon in the
following pages.
29
Individual Personal Direct
Service
Collaborative/Cooperative Workshop/Institute
PDP – Professional
Development Process
Mentors Professional Learning
Community
Horizontal
Sabbatical Instructional
Coaches
Vertical
Teacher Evaluation
Table A: Professional Development Models
Individual models reflect the fact that educators are continuously and professionally growing,
building their individual capacities to learn new curriculum and ways of teaching. Recognizing
that individual differences will affect how teachers learn, professional development must be
modulated to reflect the similarities and differences in adult learning levels and styles. A model
that works for some may not work for all. Some models include paying a stipend while others
offer short-term leave for professional development. There are other models that provide
individual and peer support as new knowledge and skills are implemented.
Personal Direct Service is a category of models in which an individual teacher is assigned to
another teacher, or to several other teachers, for the purpose of getting to know the teacher or
teachers, diagnosing needs and providing help. Mentors for new teachers and instructional
coaches are two forms of Personal Direct Service.
Mentors. Three rationales for mentoring as a form of professional development are discussed in
the research:
1. Because teaching is complex, it often takes years to learn to teach knowledgeably and
skillfully. Mentoring can support teachers through the early months and years of
practice.
2. Mentors take on the role of protective companion for new teachers who are often
given the most difficult students, the most difficult subjects, and difficult
environments.
30
3. A mentor helps new teachers develop 21st
century teaching skills for students needing
21st century learning and knowledge.
Best practice in mentoring takes the form of specific differentiation of guided practice and
assistance to teachers in a job-embedded context, based on a thorough assessment of the
teacher‘s strengths and needs. The goal is to help teachers achieve and maintain effective
instructional practices for the growth of their students.
The need for mentoring services tends to vary as a function of a teacher‘s background and
experience. Required competencies and areas for growth can be addressed through peer coaching
that includes reflection, the use of student data to create appropriate lessons, attention to
classroom organization and management, and explanations of the curriculum and how to teach it.
Mentors help teachers who have mastered basic competencies deepen their understanding of
teaching and learning processes, use their curricula and materials effectively and employ
effective instructional strategies. For the more advanced teacher, mentoring can focus on
exploring, applying, and analyzing the effectiveness of more sophisticated models of teaching
and learning.
Instructional Coaches. The primary purpose of an instructional coach is to support teachers in
ways that deepen their understanding of content knowledge, research-based instructional
strategies, and the use of a variety of assessments to monitor student achievement. Instructional
coaching helps teachers build capacity for effective instructional practices within a content area.
Recent research reported a positive impact on student achievement when literacy coaching was
effectively implemented. The report stipulated that when literacy coaches receive rigorous
training in the theory and content of literacy learning and provide extensive school-based
professional development and individual coaching, there is a positive effect on student learning.
This model of coaching should be school-based, sustained over time and part of a coherent
school reform model. (Wei et al., 2010)
31
The success of a coaching program is dependent upon making smart choices about the roles of
coaches. Because coaches can fulfill many roles, it is important to be clear about what is
expected of a coach. A school-based coach could play the role of:
1. resource provider
2. data coach
3. instructional specialist
4. curriculum specialist
5. classroom supporter
6. learning facilitator
7. mentor
8. school leader
9. catalyst for change
10. learner
When we consider the research on the positive impact of literacy coaches on student
achievement, it is clear that a coach should be both instructional specialist and curriculum
specialist at a minimum.
Collaborative/Cooperative models include Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) and other
collaborative learning groups. In addition to the emerging research about coaching as an
effective professional development model, Wei et al. (2010) cited empirical evidence of the
effectiveness of professional learning communities with regard to increasing student
achievement. Teachers‘ new knowledge will be implemented as they plan lessons together,
examine their students‘ work to find ways to improve it, observe one another teach, reflect on
changes in instruction, and plan improvements based on various data. The effectiveness of this
collaboration can exist in team, department, and grade-level compositions of PLCs.
Collaborative professional learning engages teachers in teams that work together over time to
improve teaching and learning. In addition to an unwavering commitment to student learning that
is consistently articulated and referenced in the staff‘s work, several characteristics are important
if professional learning groups are to be successful:
32
• The role of the principal is crucial. Supportive and shared leadership requires collegial
and facilitative participation of the principal, who shares leadership by inviting staff input
and action in decision making. Trust and community are fostered by creating an ongoing
conversation with staff about what teaching and learning requires and about what will
show that the school is making progress.
• Trust among professional learning community members is important for true
collaboration and accountability. Collaborative groups work best when provided some
autonomy. For example, some schools let collaborative groups choose participants,
meeting times and places, and areas of focus based on student needs.
• Which students are succeeding? Who is struggling? There are many forms of data that are
useful for informing professional learning communities‘ decisions and progress: student
work, scores from standardized assessments, formative classroom assessments, and
others. It is important to measure what matters so that we know we are making a
difference. We must continually ask whether we are getting the right information to
inform our practice. The courage to examine the present condition of student learning
without judgment or blame is crucial for planning the work of school-based professional
learning communities.
• Focus on instruction. There is an emerging consensus that professional development that
has the highest impact focuses directly on instructional content and materials. The best
approach is to have teachers who are designing and working with the same curriculum
come together in collaborative groups to study what is working and what needs
adjustment based on their students‘ work (data). Their discussion should focus on
instruction. Lesson Study and Looking at Student Work are strong tools or protocols for
this work.
• Follow-up for any instructional change decided on in a professional learning group is
critical. This shared practice involves the review of a teacher‘s behavior by colleagues
and includes feedback and assistance to support individual and community improvement.
This can be accomplished through an open-door policy where colleagues move freely in
and out of each other‘s classrooms or, more formally, when they observe one another
33
regarding specific things on which the group has agreed to work. This process could also
involve support from coaches.
• Follow-up includes reflection by the participants, individually and with colleagues, about
the application of the new learning and potential next steps to deepen the learning,
improve the application of the learning to teaching, and measure the impact on student
learning.
• Ongoing documentation and sharing of the work and learning of professional learning
communities is important. This sharing provides opportunities for staff to communicate
about their ongoing work, struggles, and learning which makes the whole school smarter,
builds community, and encourages accountability. (See Appendix C.)
A Workshop or Institute refers to the concentrated study of specific content over a short period
of time. A workshop might last half a day or more while an institute generally covers a number
of consecutive days. In this professional development model staff usually gain new knowledge
about a topic by reading, discussing, and listening to speakers. Participants might view
demonstrations of the new knowledge and be provided the time to plan how they will integrate
this new knowledge with their classroom instruction, administrative responsibilities, or other
work. In various fields, including education, the study of learning has resulted in an important
distinction between the horizontal and vertical transfer of new knowledge. The difference
between these two types of learning is based on complexity and familiarity, a distinction that is
especially important when planning workshops.
Horizontal refers to the easy transfer of knowledge gained from a workshop to practice in the
workplace. Workshops intended to facilitate horizontal transfer might focus on minor teaching
skills where the participants already possess some knowledge and experience. Such horizontal
workshops might be perfect as a vehicle for extending the learning of a practice or skill that is
already familiar. The horizontal transfer of knowledge and skills can usually be accomplished in
one or two sessions.
Vertical workshops or institutes are most appropriate when the sessions start the learning, but
where implementation of the workshop learning requires additional professional development.
34
New learning for participants should be delivered in vertical workshops or institutes. Learning
that lends itself to vertical transfer usually requires several sessions with time between sessions,
accompanied by opportunities for implementation support at the site. The on-site support could
take the form of coaching or collaboration on the topic in a professional learning community.
Evaluation of Professional Development
Evaluation is part of any good plan. Evaluation is based on a theory of change and logic model
that assist staff in deciding what the professional development will be and how it is expected to
produce intended results. At various points there is systematic collection of evidence (a chain of
evidence) to determine effectiveness. This evidence answers the question, ―How will we know?‖
The evaluation standard for staff development, developed by Learning Forward is, ―Staff
development that improves the learning of all students and uses multiple sources of information
to guide improvement and demonstrate its impact.‖ As outlined in the rationale for evaluation:
―the evaluation process begins with the planning stages, and is based on clarity of thought
regarding outcomes, the adult learning processes that will be used, and the evidence that is
required to guide decision making.‖ Further, the evaluation process ―asks and answers significant
questions, gathers both quantitative and qualitative information from various sources, and
provides specific recommendations for future action.‖ (NSDC, 2001)
Despite the adoption and purported use of Guskey‘s Evaluating Professional Development
(2000) by the Minnesota Department of Education, the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers, the
District Staff Development Advisory Committee and site staff development chairpersons, there is
little evidence of its use to evaluate professional development activities in Minneapolis Public
Schools. When professional development evaluation has occurred, it has been episodic and
primarily limited to the use of satisfaction surveys designed to measure how much participants
enjoyed the experience.
35
The Backmapping Model and Guskey‘s Five Critical Levels of Professional Development
Evaluation reinforce the need for evaluation to permeate professional development planning and
implementation. Guskey‘s five levels are:
Level 1 - measuring adult reaction to learning experience
Level 2 - measuring adult learning
Level 3 - assessing organizational support and change
Level 4 - assessing application of adult learning
Level 5 - assessing student learning
Guskey‘s model asks: What questions are addressed? How will information be gathered? What is
measured or assessed? How will the information be used, especially at levels 4 and 5 that result
in changes in practice and increases in student learning? (Guskey, 2000)
Roles and Responsibilities for Evaluation at Sites and Central Office
Evaluating professional learning is the responsibility of all levels of the organization. In addition
to evaluating adult learning, central office is responsible for providing resources, processes,
leadership, and oversight for high levels of professional learning. Sites are responsible,
especially through the School Improvement Process (SIP), for identifying needs, monitoring
implementation, and evaluating professional learning.
To clarify roles and responsibilities for the Staff Development Standards, Learning Forward
created a set of Innovation Configurations (ICs) or maps. These ICs describe the quality of
implementation or most-desired outcome when implementing a method, system, or program.
Sites and central office share the responsibility for evaluating professional development activities
and programs. These responsibilities are defined as desired outcomes and clarified by
descriptions of high implementation, as shown in Table B. (NSDC and SEDL, 2003)
36
Evaluation Standard Site Staff Central Office Staff
Desired Evaluation Outcomes for
Professional Development:
• Contribute a variety of data
to evaluate impact of
professional development
• Collect and analyze
classroom data to determine
impact
• Evaluate school-based
programs using a variety of
data
• Design formative and
summative evaluations
• Develop a comprehensive
plan for conducting ongoing
evaluation
• Develop the capacity of
school-based leaders to
conduct evaluations
• Evaluate professional
development using a variety
of data
• Design summative and
formative evaluation of
district-based professional
development programs
Examples of High Level
Evaluation Outcomes:
Identify changes in student
learning or behaviors and
changes in classroom practices.
Assess the extent to which school
culture and organizational
structures, policies and processes
have changed and identify the
changes in knowledge and skill
that result from participation in a
professional development
program.
Provide learning experiences
about the development of
evaluation questions, multiple
data sources, data collection
methodology, data analysis and
interpretation processes,
dissemination strategies and
evaluation of the evaluation to
assess the impact of the
professional development
program on student achievement.
Table B: Staff Development Evaluation Innovation Configuration for
Teachers, Principals and Central Office Staff Members
Appendix G shows the Evaluation Standard (from the Innovation Configuration Crosswalk),
including the roles and outcomes for the various stakeholders who make up site and central
office staff.
Guiding Laws, Policies & Regulations – Federal, State and District
A variety of federal, state, and district laws, policies, and regulations guide the professional
learning of educators to ensure academic progress for all students. Local or district policies and
37
regulations address the unique needs of each district or school site. Funding or revenue streams
most often follow these laws and regulations. It is essential to target all funding sources and
other resources to assure implementation of the Professional Development Plan.
Federal Legislation. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), originally enacted
in 1965, focuses on: encouraging comprehensive, systemic school reform; upgrading
instructional and professional development to align with high standards; strengthening
accountability; and promoting the coordination of resources to improve education for all
children. The current reauthorization of ESEA is the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB).
ESEA legislation contains multiple sections called ―titles.‖ The two most relevant sections for
this professional development plan are Title I and Title II. Funding flows from the federal level
to states and then to school districts. (Appendix L summarizes Federal and other programs.)
Title I and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). Title I programs are designed to distribute funding
to schools and school districts with a high percentage of students from low-income families.
According to the U.S. Department of Education the purpose of Title 1 funding ―is to ensure that
all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high quality education and
reach, at minimum, proficiency on challenging state academic achievement standards and state
academic assessments.‖ ESEA was rewritten in 1994 with the goal of helping at-risk students.
Under NCLB, schools must make adequate yearly progress (AYP) on state tests and focus on
best teaching practices in order to continue receiving funds. The legislation defines Highly
Qualified Teachers as shown in Appendix H.
Title II. The purpose of this section and funding source is to increase academic achievement by
improving teacher and principal quality. This is addressed by: increasing the number of highly
qualified teachers in classrooms; increasing the number of highly qualified principals and
assistant principals in schools; and increasing the effectiveness of teachers and principals by
holding states and schools/districts accountable for improvements in student academic
achievement. In exchange for Title II funds, states, schools, and districts are held accountable to
the public for improvements in academic achievement.
38
Title II, Part A provides flexibility for the states to use these funds creatively to address
challenges pertaining to teacher quality, whether they concern teacher preparation and the
qualifications of new teachers, recruitment and hiring, induction, professional development,
teacher retention, or the need for more capable principals and assistant principals to serve as
effective school leaders. The legislation requires a school district to conduct a needs assessment
for professional development.
State Legislation. Minnesota laws, policies and regulations provide guidance for professional
learning of educational staff. State measures include the teacher and principal relicensure rules,
standards of effective practice and staff development statues. Especially important to the
Professional Development Plan are the Staff Development Statues that require districts to reserve
funds to implement activities and to establish an advisory staff development committee to
develop the plan, assist site professional development teams in developing a site plan consistent
with the goals of the plan, and evaluate staff development efforts at the site level. (Appendix I, J,
and K)
Alignment of federal and state policies and regulations, and use of the associated resources,
supports the District‘s efforts to serve students and educators and maximizes the return on
investment. Appendix L provides an overview of Federal, State and District Professional
Development Legislation, Resources and Purposes.
Recommendations and Next Steps
The federal and state perspectives, MPS Strategic Plan, Audit and other documents created the
backdrop for the Comprehensive Professional Development Plan. Fortified by what we know
from the research regarding professional development that is school-based and supported by the
central office, and how effective models and strategies impact teaching and student achievement,
the Professional Development Work Group offers the following recommendations:
1. Adopt a Board policy assuring professional development for all employees that is driven
by student achievement. This policy will describe the district‘s expectation and direct
professional development efforts regarding the following:
• Assessing professional development needs
39
• Planning, coordinating, implementing, and evaluating professional
development activities
• Tracking specific participation in professional learning activities
2. Plan for district and school professional development that is focused and aligned with the
District Strategic Plan and its commitment to Focused Instruction.
3. Design, monitor, and evaluate school improvement plans that include professional
development driven by an analysis of student data over time and that inform and identify
adult learning needs.
4. Design and deliver standards-based and curriculum-based professional development
through effective models over time in a cycle of continuous improvement.
5. Adopt and implement a consistent Professional Learning Communities (PLC) model and
instructional coaching model.
6. Identify adequate time for job-embedded professional development.
7. Provide orientation and induction at the district, site, and department levels for all
employees.
8. Base professional development on current job responsibilities to support growth and
connect to an individual‘s performance assessment.
9. Evaluate the planning and implementation of professional development both formatively
and summatively.
10. Report annually to the Board on the status of implementation and revisions to the
professional development plan specified in the audit recommendations; this is the
responsibility of the Director of Professional Development.
It is now time for implementation. The insights and recommendations contained in the Plan must
come alive over the next five years through regulations and Board policy, led by the
Superintendent and the Director of Professional Development and Assessment. An Action Plan
must be supported with the necessary resources and funding to assure truly systemic
implementation throughout Minneapolis Public Schools. Meeting our responsibility for the
professional development of all adult learners in the District will help us accomplish our goals of
accelerating student achievement and closing the achievement gap, to the benefit of all those
who we are here to serve.
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Appendix A
Minneapolis Public Schools 2007-2012 Strategic Plan Excerpt
Recommendations from the Strategic Plan:
1. Raise expectations and academic rigor for all students, aligning pre-K-12 programs with
the college readiness goal.
2. Identify and correct practices and policies that perpetuate the achievement gap and
institutional racism in all forms.
3. Develop highly effective principal corps and ensure they have the capacity to establish
and lead outstanding instructional teams.
4. Develop high-performing teacher corps and provide professional development and
support to get excellent results for all students.
5. Set clear expectations for all staff at every level - reward success, support and develop,
but remove low performers when required.
6. Transform relationships and partner with families.
7. Build widespread internal and external support and partnerships to get results.
8. Restructure the lower-performing 25 percent of schools, increasing the flexibility and
autonomy for the lowest and highest performing.
9. Create and sustain a positive financial position.
Professional development could be inferred in all or most of these recommendations. The
Strategic Plan specifies professional development as an action step for recommendations 2, 3,
and 4.
Recommendation Action Steps
#2: Identify and correct practices and policies
that perpetuate the achievement gap and
institutional racism in all forms.
• Develop pro-equity/anti-racism leadership
at all levels of the District.
• Create understanding among all staff of
institutional barriers to achievement by
students of color and increase cultural
41
competence.
• Actively engage parents and the
community in mutual learning to raise
academic achievement.
#3: Develop highly effective principal corps
and ensure they have the capacity to establish
and lead outstanding instructional teams.
• Refocus professional development to
assessing rigor and fostering instructional
effectiveness in the classroom, especially in
literacy, math, ELL, special education, and
the integration of culturally appropriate
strategies.
#4: Develop high-performing teacher corps
and provide professional development and
support to get excellent results for all students.
• Reallocate most professional development
resources to individualized and job-
embedded coaching.
• Strengthen teacher-led professional
learning communities in which teachers use
student data, best-practice sharing,
observations, and coaching to improve
instruction.
• Integrate cultural competence and family
engagement strategies into professional
development.
• Deepen teacher content expertise through
professional development or changing
licensure requirements in key areas (e.g.,
middle school math).
• Strengthen instructional strategies for key
groups (e.g., ELL, Special Education
students).
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Appendix B
Minneapolis Public Schools Philosophy Statement on Professional Development (2007)
Our mission as a district is to ensure that all students learn. In order to achieve our mission, it is
imperative that all district staff continuously learn and develop their capacity to serve our diverse
students and their families. Our district philosophy of professional development is grounded in
knowing that our efforts to increase the learning of all students and close the achievement gap
require effective professional/staff development.
In essence, Minneapolis Public Schools believes that effective professional learning:
• Focuses on and improves student learning;
• Increases educators‘ knowledge, skill, and understanding of diverse learners, subject
matter, and best practices;
• Establishes a culture of quality for the work of adults and students;
• Happens primarily at schools and is job-embedded;
• Requires time and other resources devoted to professional learning;
• Is active, collaborative, reflective and ongoing;
• Demonstrates respect for teachers as professionals and as adult learners;
• Occurs within a district that views itself as a learning organization and knowledge-
creating institution;
• Requires commitment to consistency and focus over the long term;
• Is at the heart of continuous student, teacher, school, and district improvement.
The ultimate purpose and outcome of effective professional learning is to increase student
learning. Therefore, effective professional/staff development involves collaborative and
reflective examinations of formative and summative assessments, including student work, to
understand students‘ needs and interests related to rigorous academic learning including
academic content standards.
Professional development is connected to questions of content and pedagogy as well as research
about learning and effective teaching. Teachers gain a deep understanding of their subject area
through professional development. They understand the content knowledge and skills and
become immersed in the scholarship of their discipline. Fortunately teachers‘ acquisition of this
content knowledge and these skills can occur simultaneously as they also learn new instructional
approaches and assessment techniques.
Teachers‘ knowledge of their students is an essential ingredient of successful teaching.
Professional learning helps educators understand the general cognitive and social/emotional
characteristics of students in order to provide developmentally appropriate curriculum and
instruction. It provides strategies for tapping the unique strengths of each student and helps
teachers use knowledge of their students‘ interests and backgrounds to plan meaningful lessons
for a continually changing student population. Professional development equips educators with
ways of providing differentiated learning activities based on individual differences.
43
Educators apply their learning in schools and classrooms. They coach and mentor one another as
they implement instructional strategies and engage students in curriculum. They meet regularly
with teammates or colleagues in professional learning communities to share, reflect, and refine
the implementation of pedagogical practices. Powerful professional learning encourages
discussion about what quality looks like, both in terms of the work of educators and the work
expected from all students. Staff/professional development is the mechanism to make this
happen.
Effective professional development demonstrates respect for teachers and other staff as adult
learners. It provides sufficient time and follow-up support for adults to master new content and
strategies and to integrate them into their practice. The implementation and practice of ongoing
professional learning happens primarily in and across schools. It must be designed to develop the
capacity of staff to work collectively within their own schools and with practitioners in other
settings. In order for collaboration to occur, time and resources must be available to effectively
integrate the content of professional learning into teaching.
Professional learning must occur if the school district is to develop and maintain the capacity to
provide children with a quality education. It must be embedded in a school district‘s operational
structures and permeate the work of the organization; it should be viewed as an integral part of
teachers‘ and principals‘ work as well as the work of all district and school-based staff.
Professional development is also connected to the consequences of district priorities, practices,
and structures while stimulating and supporting district and site-based initiatives and
improvements.
The Minneapolis Public Schools concurs with the National Staff Development Council when it
wrote, ―Staff development is the means by which educators acquire or enhance the knowledge,
skills, attitudes, and beliefs necessary to create high levels of learning for all students‖ (2001, p.
2). The Minneapolis Public Schools‘ Philosophy is grounded in the National Staff Development
Council standards delineated into process, context, and content standards. Context standards
outline what organization factors support high quality professional development. Process
standards provide direction for improving educators‘ daily practice. Content standards address
the knowledge and skills educators acquire through professional development. All three
components are necessary to ensure that staff development improves students‘ learning.
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Appendix C
Professional Learning Communities Sub-Group – Some Initial Findings
Focus on Instruction — This was the strong message across sources. The best case situation is
for teachers designing and working with the same curriculum to come together in PLCs and
study what is working and what needs adjustment based on their students‘ work (data). Refrain
from talking about individual student behavior, logistics, etc. Keep the focus on instruction. (See
attached rubric.) Lesson Study and Looking at Student Work are strong tools (protocols) for this
work.
Begin with a ruthless assessment of reality. Which students are succeeding, which are
struggling? The courage to examine the present condition without judgment or blame is crucial
for planning school PLC work.
Trust, collaboration, accountability, and autonomy are all important for PLCs that work.
Trust between principals and teachers and trust between PLC members is important for true
collaboration and accountability. PLCs work best with some level of autonomy built in. Some
schools let PLCs choose participants, meeting times and places, and areas of focus based on
student needs, use Google™ docs to keep and share notes, etc.
Follow-up for any instructional change decided on in PLC groups is crucial. This can be
accomplished through an open-door policy where PLC participants move freely in and out of
each other‘s classrooms or more formally where participants observe each other for specific
things that the PLC has agreed to work on. This could also involve the support of coaches.
Sharing PLC work makes the whole school smarter, builds community, and encourages
accountability. It is important to design ongoing ways for PLCs to share their work, struggles,
and learning with the whole staff.
Data — There are many forms of data that are useful for informing PLC decisions and
progress—student work, scores from standardized assessments, formative classroom assessment,
etc. It is important to measure what matters so that we know we are making a difference. We
need to ask continuously whether we are getting the right information to inform our practice.
Accountability — The role of the Principal is crucial in PLC accountability and success.
Fostering trust and community, creating an ongoing conversation with staff about what teaching
and learning requires, talking with staff about what will show that the school is making progress
are all useful. Also important are the ongoing sharing of PLC learning and the documentation of
PLC work and learning.
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Appendix C (continued)
Professional Learning Communities Sub-Group
Depth of Interaction for Instructional Improvement
Non-Interaction Low to Intermediate
Interaction
Purposeful, Substantive
Interaction
Majority of meeting is focused
on:
Majority of meeting is focused
on:
Majority of meeting is focused
on:
• Social conversation
• Non-instructional
conversations about
students (e.g., discipline
issues, social events)
• Unproductive conversation
about district standards or
frameworks
• Personal curriculum issues
• School or districts tasks
unrelated to teaching or
learning
• Normalizing problems
associated with teaching or
learning
• Swapping teacher stories
• Sharing materials or
equipment
• Providing advice or discrete
bits of information
• How to set up a classroom
• How to use the curriculum
materials or district
standards
• Preparing for tomorrow
only
• General information about
how lessons went
• Personal practice rather than
school or district-wide
practice
• Pedagogical principles
underlying instructional
approaches
• Detailed accounting of
nature of students‘
understanding of concepts
in the content area
• Detailed accounting of how
students learn particular
content and/or concepts
• ‖Doing‖ the assignments/
engaging as learners with
post analysis
• Analyzing evidence of
student learning of specific
concepts
• Collective attention to
practice necessary and
worthwhile
46
Appendix D
Definition of Professional Development from Learning Forward
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT— The term ―professional development‖ means a
comprehensive, sustained, and intensive approach to improving teachers‘ and principals‘
effectiveness in raising student achievement --
(A) Professional development fosters collective responsibility for improved student performance
and must be comprised of professional learning that:
(1) is aligned with rigorous state student academic achievement standards as well as related local
educational agency and school improvement goals;
(2) is conducted among educators at the school and facilitated by well-prepared school principals
and/or school-based professional development coaches, mentors, master teachers, or other
teacher leaders;
(3) primarily occurs several times per week among established teams of teachers, principals, and
other instructional staff members where the teams of educators engage in a continuous cycle of
improvement that —
(I) evaluates student, teacher, and school learning needs through a thorough review of data on
teacher and student performance;
(ii) defines a clear set of educator learning goals based on the rigorous analysis of the data;
(iii) achieves the educator learning goals identified in subsection (A)(3)(ii) by implementing
coherent, sustained, and evidenced-based learning strategies, such as lesson study and the
development of formative assessments, that improve instructional effectiveness and student
achievement;
(iv) provides job-embedded coaching or other forms of assistance to support the transfer of new
knowledge and skills to the classroom;
(v) regularly assesses the effectiveness of the professional development in achieving identified
learning goals, improving teaching, and assisting all students in meeting challenging state
academic achievement standards;
(vi) informs ongoing improvements in teaching and student learning; and
(vii) that may be supported by external assistance.
(B) The process outlined in (A) may be supported by activities such as courses, workshops,
institutes, networks, and conferences that:
(1) must address the learning goals and objectives established for professional development by
educators at the school level;
47
(2) advance the ongoing school-based professional development; and
(3) are provided by for-profit and nonprofit entities outside the school such as universities,
education service agencies, technical assistance providers, networks of content-area specialists,
and other education organizations and associations.
48
Appendix E
NSDC Standards for Staff Development (Revised, 2001)
Context Standards
Staff development that improves the learning of all students:
Organizes adults into learning communities whose goals are aligned with those of the school
and district. (Learning Communities)
Requires skillful school and district leaders who guide continuous instructional improvement.
(Leadership)
Requires resources to support adult learning and collaboration. (Resources)
Process Standards
Staff development that improves the learning of all students:
Uses disaggregated student data to determine adult learning priorities, monitor progress, and
help sustain continuous improvement. (Data-Driven)
Uses multiple sources of information to guide improvement and demonstrate its impact.
(Evaluation)
Prepares educators to apply research to decision making. (Research-Based)
Uses learning strategies appropriate to the intended goal. (Design)
Applies knowledge about human learning and change. (Learning)
Provides educators with the knowledge and skills to collaborate. (Collaboration)
Content Standards
Staff development that improves the learning of all students:
49
Prepares educators to understand and appreciate all students, create safe, orderly and
supportive learning environments, and hold high expectations for their academic
achievement. (Equity)
Deepens educators' content knowledge, provides them with research-based instructional
strategies to assist students in meeting rigorous academic standards, and prepares them to
use various types of classroom assessments appropriately. (Quality Teaching)
Provides educators with knowledge and skills to involve families and other stakeholders
appropriately. (Family Involvement)
50
Appendix F
Criteria for Comprehensive Long-Range Professional Development Plan
Criteria:
• Is based on the Learning Forward‘s (formerly the National Staff Development Council)
definition of professional development
• Has a board-approved policy that establishes professional learning based on the NSDC
standards and supports full implementation of the plan
• Includes a professional development mission driven by and aligned with Minneapolis
Public School‘s mission, strategic plan and theory of action
• Provides a framework that guides and implements research-based innovations related to
mission
• Developed using a long-range planning approach focused on the impact on student
learning
• Includes all professional and classified employees
• Monitored by an ongoing cycle of formative assessment and evaluation that measures
implementation with fidelity that informs focus, resources and work
• Is standards based, results-driven, ongoing and job-embedded professional learning using
a variety of effective professional learning approaches
• Values, acknowledges and provides evidence of the phases of the change process as
demonstrated through the use of measures such as Innovation Configuration Maps and
Implementation Rubrics
• Provides for system-wide coordination that promotes coherence and differentiation
• Provides a prioritized list of professional learning expectations
• Provides the necessary funding to accomplish staff development goals in a fiscally
responsible manner
51
Appendix G
Innovation Configuration Crosswalk – Evaluation Roles and Outcomes
(NSDC & SEDL, 2003, p. 42)
52
Appendix H
Definition of Highly Qualified Teachers from No Child Left Behind
Highly Qualified Teachers: To be deemed highly qualified, teachers must have: 1) a bachelor‘s
degree, 2) full state certification or licensure, and 3) prove that they know each subject they
teach.
State Requirements: NCLB requires states to 1) measure the extent to which all students have
highly qualified teachers, particularly minority and disadvantaged students, 2) adopt goals and
plans to ensure all teachers are highly qualified and, 3) publicly report plans and progress in
meeting teacher quality goals.
Demonstration of Competency: Teachers (in middle and high school) must prove that they
know the subject they teach with: 1) a major in the subject they teach, 2) credits equivalent to a
major in the subject, 3) passage of a state-developed test, 4) HOUSSE (for current teachers only,
see below), 5) an advanced certification from the state, or 6) a graduate degree.
High, Objective, Uniform State Standard of Evaluation (HOUSSE): NCLB allows states to
develop an additional way for current teachers to demonstrate subject-matter competency and
meet highly qualified teacher requirements. Proof may consist of a combination of teaching
experience professional development, and knowledge in the subject garnered over time in the
profession.
53
Appendix I
Minnesota Statues
House HO – Highly Qualified Minnesota Statues
122A.16 HIGHLY QUALIFIED TEACHER DEFINED.
(a) A qualified teacher is one holding a valid license, under this chapter, to perform the particular
service for which the teacher is employed in a public school.
(b) For the purposes of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, a highly qualified teacher is one
who holds a valid license under this chapter to perform the particular service for which the
teacher is employed in a public school or who meets the requirements of a highly objective
uniform state standard of evaluation (HOUSSE).
All Minnesota teachers teaching in a core academic subject area, as defined by the federal No
Child Left Behind Act, in which they are not fully licensed may complete the following
HOUSSE process in the core subject area for which the teacher is requesting highly qualified
status by completing an application, in the form and manner described by the commissioner, that
includes:
(1) documentation of student achievement as evidenced by norm-referenced test results that are
objective and psychometrically valid and reliable;
(2) evidence of local, state, or national activities, recognition, or awards for professional
contribution to achievement;
(3) description of teaching experience in the teachers' core subject area in a public school under a
waiver, variance, limited license or other exception; nonpublic school; and postsecondary
institution;
(4) test results from the Praxis II content test;
(5) evidence of advanced certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching
Standards;
(6) evidence of the successful completion of course work or pedagogy courses; and
(7) evidence of the successful completion of high quality professional development activities.
Districts must assign a school administrator to serve as a HOUSSE reviewer to meet with
teachers under this paragraph and, where appropriate, certify the teachers' applications. Teachers
satisfy the definition of highly qualified when the teachers receive at least 100 of the total
54
number of points used to measure the teachers' content expertise under clauses (1) to (7).
Teachers may acquire up to 50 points only in any one clause (1) to (7). Teachers may use the
HOUSSE process to satisfy the definition of highly qualified for more than one subject area.
(c) Achievement of the HOUSSE criteria is not equivalent to a license. A teacher must obtain
permission from the Board of Teaching in order to teach in a public school.
55
Appendix J
Minnesota Statutes
122A.60 STAFF DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.
Subdivision 1. Staff development committee.
A school board must use the revenue authorized in section 122A.61 for in-service education for
programs under section 120B.22, subdivision 2, or for staff development plans under this
section. The board must establish an advisory staff development committee to develop the plan,
assist site professional development teams in developing a site plan consistent with the goals of
the plan, and evaluate staff development efforts at the site level. A majority of the advisory
committee and the site professional development team must be teachers representing various
grade levels, subject areas, and special education. The advisory committee must also include
nonteaching staff, parents, and administrators.
Subd. 1a. Effective staff development activities.
(a) Staff development activities must:
(1) focus on the school classroom and research-based strategies that improve student learning;
(2) provide opportunities for teachers to practice and improve their instructional skills over time;
(3) provide opportunities for teachers to use student data as part of their daily work to increase
student achievement;
(4) enhance teacher content knowledge and instructional skills;
(5) align with state and local academic standards;
(6) provide opportunities to build professional relationships, foster collaboration among
principals and staff who provide instruction, and provide opportunities for teacher-to-teacher
mentoring; and
(7) align with the plan of the district or site for an alternative teacher professional pay system.
Staff development activities may include curriculum development and curriculum training
programs, and activities that provide teachers and other members of site-based teams training to
enhance team performance. The school district also may implement other staff development
56
activities required by law and activities associated with professional teacher compensation
models.
(b) Release time provided for teachers to supervise students on field trips and school activities, or
independent tasks not associated with enhancing the teacher's knowledge and instructional skills,
such as preparing report cards, calculating grades, or organizing classroom materials, may not be
counted as staff development time that is financed with staff development reserved revenue
under section 122A.61.
Subd. 2. Contents of plan.
The plan must include the staff development outcomes under subdivision 3, the means to achieve
the outcomes, and procedures for evaluating progress at each school site toward meeting
education outcomes, consistent with relicensure requirements under section 122A.18,
subdivision 2, paragraph (b). The plan also must:
(1) support stable and productive professional communities achieved through ongoing and
schoolwide progress and growth in teaching practice;
(2) emphasize coaching, professional learning communities, classroom action research, and other
job-embedded models;
(3) maintain a strong subject matter focus premised on students' learning goals;
(4) ensure specialized preparation and learning about issues related to teaching students with
special needs and limited English proficiency; and
(5) reinforce national and state standards of effective teaching practice.
Subd. 3. Staff development outcomes.
The advisory staff development committee must adopt a staff development plan for improving
student achievement. The plan must be consistent with education outcomes that the school board
determines. The plan must include ongoing staff development activities that contribute toward
continuous improvement in achievement of the following goals:
(1) improve student achievement of state and local education standards in all areas of the
curriculum by using best practices methods;
(2) effectively meet the needs of a diverse student population, including at-risk children, children
with disabilities, and gifted children, within the regular classroom and other settings;
57
(3) provide an inclusive curriculum for a racially, ethnically, and culturally diverse student
population that is consistent with the state education diversity rule and the district's education
diversity plan;
(4) improve staff collaboration and develop mentoring and peer coaching programs for teachers
new to the school or district;
(5) effectively teach and model violence prevention policy and curriculum that address early
intervention alternatives, issues of harassment, and teach nonviolent alternatives for conflict
resolution; and
(6) provide teachers and other members of site-based management teams with appropriate
management and financial management skills.
Subd. 4. Staff development report.
(a) By October 15 of each year, the district and site staff development committees shall write and
submit a report of staff development activities and expenditures for the previous year, in the form
and manner determined by the commissioner. The report, signed by the district superintendent
and staff development chair, must include assessment and evaluation data indicating progress
toward district and site staff development goals based on teaching and learning outcomes,
including the percentage of teachers and other staff involved in instruction who participate in
effective staff development activities under subdivision 3.
(b) The report must break down expenditures for:
(1) curriculum development and curriculum training programs; and
(2) staff development training models, workshops, and conferences, and the cost of releasing
teachers or providing substitute teachers for staff development purposes.
The report also must indicate whether the expenditures were incurred at the district level or the
school site level, and whether the school site expenditures were made possible by grants to
school sites that demonstrate exemplary use of allocated staff development revenue. These
expenditures must be reported using the uniform financial and accounting and reporting
standards.
(c) The commissioner shall report the staff development progress and expenditure data to the
House of Representatives and senate committees having jurisdiction over education by February
15 each year.
58
Appendix K
Minnesota Statutes
122A.61 RESERVED REVENUE FOR STAFF DEVELOPMENT.
Subdivision 1. Staff development revenue.
A district is required to reserve an amount equal to at least two percent of the basic revenue
under section 126C.10, subdivision 2, for in-service education for programs under section
120B.22, subdivision 2, for staff development plans, including plans for challenging instructional
activities and experiences under section 122A.60, and for curriculum development and programs,
other in-service education, teachers' workshops, teacher conferences, the cost of substitute
teachers staff development purposes, preservice and in-service education for special education
professionals and paraprofessionals, and other related costs for staff development efforts. A
district may annually waive the requirement to reserve their basic revenue under this section if a
majority vote of the licensed teachers in the district and a majority vote of the school board agree
to a resolution to waive the requirement. A district in statutory operating debt is exempt from
reserving basic revenue according to this section. Districts may expend an additional amount of
unreserved revenue for staff development based on their needs. With the exception of amounts
reserved for staff development from revenues allocated directly to school sites, the board must
initially allocate 50 percent of the reserved revenue to each school site in the district on a per
teacher basis, which must be retained by the school site until used. The board may retain 25
percent to be used for district wide staff development efforts. The remaining 25 percent of the
revenue must be used to make grants to school sites for best practices methods. A grant may be
used for any purpose authorized under section 120B.22, subdivision 2, 122A.60, or for the costs
of curriculum development and programs, other in-service education, teachers' workshops,
teacher conferences, substitute teachers for staff development purposes, and other staff
development efforts, and determined by the site professional development team. The site
professional development team must demonstrate to the school board the extent to which staff at
the site have met the outcomes of the program. The board may withhold a portion of initial
allocation of revenue if the staff development outcomes are not being met.
59
Appendix L
Federal, State and District
Professional Development Legislation, Resources and Purposes
Resources (and their purpose) include, but are not limited to, the following:
Resource Purpose
Federal
Title I, Part A - Regular and stimulus
funds (schoolwide or targeted
assistance programs)
• Provide support for implementing a research-based
instructional program that is aligned vertically across
grade levels as well as aligned to the State standards.
1003(a) Statewide System of Support – AYP funds
• Assist with improvement plan design and
implementation, including high-quality job-embedded
professional development designed to assist schools in
implementing the intervention model.
Title II, Part A • Recruit teaching staff with the skills and experience to
operative effectively within the selected intervention
model.
Title II, Part D - Ed Tech • Provide staff online job-embedded professional
development.
• Promote the continuous use of student data through
electronic means.
Title III, Part A- LEP • Provide staff job-embedded professional development
aligned to grant goals to assist them in serving English
Language Learners.
State and District
Q Comp – Minnesota‘s educator
alternative compensation program
• Identify and reward school leaders, teachers and other
staff who have increased student achievement and
graduation rates.
• Recruit, place and retain staff with the necessary skills
using financial incentives and increased opportunities
for promotion and career growth.
• Provide high-quality job-embedded professional
development designed to assist educators in
implementing the intervention model.
Professional Development
Set-aside – 2% of district‘s general
revenue for professional development
• Provide staff with high-quality job-embedded
professional development designed to assist them in
implementing the intervention model.
60
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